Worming

Chapelfield

Veterinary Partnership

Pasture Management

1. Remove faeces. This is necessary to reduce the worm egg burden on the pasture. Heavily stocked grazing and mild, wet weather are factors which make this procedure all the more important! The removal of faeces also makes more grass available for grazing, as horses will avoid staled areas!
2. Chain harrowing. Used in conjunction with faeces removal, this procedure helps to kill eggs by drying in the Summer months. However, if the weather is wet, infective larvae and eggs are simply spread over the pasture! Remove the faeces! It is not true that the winter months will definitely kill worm eggs!
3. Stocking Density. As mentioned above, heavily stocked paddocks require stricter management. Summer months naturally bring higher stocking densities, with less stabling occurring. In winter months, paddocks nearest to stables (Convenience paddocks) are often used more frequently.
4. Clean pasture. Pastures can only be considered clean after at least 5 months have passed! The encysted larvae of the small redworms can survive for at least 5 months if the weather conditions are favourable! The above procedures (1, 2 & 3) must be used in conjunction with resting to ensure that the worm eggs and larvae do not survive even longer! Clean pastures are a good idea for young stock and mares with foals at foot.
5. Worming and moving. Allow 2 weeks to pass after worming, before moving to new grazing.
6. Clean graze with other animals. If possible, arrange for some sheep to graze your pastures during the Autumn, to reduce the pasture worm egg count.

Worm related topics

Worming advice and calendar

Faecal worm egg counts

Useful Books

The Complete Equine Veterinary Manual
Hardcover, by Tony Pavord, Marcy Pavord
Serving as a quick reference for veterinary surgeons and students, this work is also intended as an addition to the bookshelves of horse owners, both amateur and professional.
Click on the title if you are interested in purchasing the book.

Veterinary Notes for Horse Owners
M. Horace Hayes FRCVS, Peter D. Rossdale MA PhD FACVSc DESM FRCVS (Editor), Fiona Silver (Illustrator)
Paperback - 740 pages
Click on the title if you are interested in purchasing the book. A comprehensive manual of horse medicine and surgery, this book explains the symptoms and treatment of every disease or injury that the horse owner is likely to encounter. Written in a straightforward manner that will appeal to both novices and experts, the book contains detailed sections on the organ systems, the musculoskeletal system, the reproductive system, infectious diseases, medical and surgical advances, management and husbandry, exercise physiology, the purchase of horses, legal and medical certification, and on the veterinary service itself. There are sections, too, on nutrition, determination of age, proprietary medicines, prohibited substances and notifiable diseases, and this latest revised edition has entirely new illustrations and photographs.

Threshold Picture Guide

First Aid

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